


The Lost Doctor

by aquariuslover



Series: Expectations! [2]
Category: DBSK | Tohoshinki | TVfXQ | TVXQ, Star Trek, Super Junior
Genre: Angst, Beginning of a Lasting Love, Bonding, Broken Love, First Time, M/M, Star Trek References
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-23
Updated: 2018-03-24
Packaged: 2019-04-06 23:55:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14068356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aquariuslover/pseuds/aquariuslover
Summary: Commander Kyuhyun is lost to a world of grief and self-hatred as he uses Sungmin, while continuing to mourn his spouse. Captain Yunho attempts to come to terms with the lifelong bond he has with Jaejoong. The crew is shocked when it receives a must unexpected call for help.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is inspired by Star Trek. The crew of the Expectations will be made up of members of DBSK and Super Junior at this time. This is their second adventure, as the adventures continue...the crew will expand to include other kpop groups.

Kyuhyun awoke with a grimace as he felt Sungmin’s head resting against his chest. He slid out from underneath the other man, quietly hoping not to awaken him. He sat on the side of the bed and just frowned.

Sungmin stirred from beside him and Kyuhyun quickly got up before the other man could grab a hold of him again. A naked Kyuhyun moved to the dressing chamber and got in. He soon stepped out dressed in his red command uniform. Then he walked to the door and turned back and gave Sungmin one last guilty look before he walked out. It wasn’t the security chief’s fault that he didn’t love him, the fault laid in Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun, who used Sungmin for his body repeatedly, knowing the other man desired nothing more than a sincere honest feeling of affection from him.

It was only 0430 hours when he slipped out of Sungmin’s quarters and passed through the empty corridor on his way to his quarters. When he arrived he immediately stripped off his clothing and stepped into the sonic shower. When Kyuhyun finished showering he still felt terribly unclean. He stepped up to a mirror that lined one wall of the tiny bathroom and stared at his reflection. How he had become this person…he was not sure. He squeezed his eyes shut as his hand reached out and caressed the antique stethoscope that hung from the mirror.

He gasped and reached out his arms bracing himself against the mirror as a terrible sense of loss overcame him. He shook all over as the loss…the terrible loss enveloped him. Kyuhyun forced away the memories of a beloved awkwardness, loud laughter, and bright smiles, and remembered he was the second in command. Second command of the Expectations…Captain Yunho trusted him, and a trusted commander wasn’t allowed to be distraught over a loss…a year-long loss.

Kyuhyun inhaled a deep breath, collected his emotions, and made his way to the dressing chamber like he did every morning. After finishing getting dressed he left his quarters and made his way down the corridor till he reached the elevator. He stepped in and ordered for it to take him to the bridge. Heechul had still refused to release the Captain from Sickbay, much to the captain’s annoyance.

Although Heechul was insane in many ways, the brilliance he once had still lingered in his mind, and at times would break through the madness. Heechul was the closest thing the ship had to a functioning doctor so the captain continued to allow Heechul to function as the main medical officer on the ship. Heechul was erratic and would either perform surgery effortlessly or stroll away complaining about his hair as somebody lay dying.

Heechul’s mind had been unusually sharp for the last two weeks, and the brilliant, sharp-tongued doctor Heechul had once been was easily seen at times, but all aboard the ship knew it would not last. But while it did last Heechul refused to give his clearance for the captain to leave the sickbay. Heechul was highly perturbed that nothing he had done had affected the connection between Captain Yunho and Jaejoong. The captain still remained tied to the beautiful telepath who seemed completely devoted to him.

“Good morning Commander,” Lieutenant Yesung said, greeting him as he stepped out of the elevator and onto the bridge.

“Lieutenant, go get some sleep,” Kyuhyun said, giving the older man a smile.

Yesung got up and motioned Kyuhyun toward the captain’s chair. “The bridge is yours, Sir. When do you suppose the captain will be back?”

“I am not sure. Heechul doesn’t seem eager to give him the all clear, but Heechul can’t really be depended on to be rational,” Kyuhyun admitted, taking the chair.

“Can’t say I blame Heechul for once, Sir. The captain is under the influence of an alien mind. Who knows what could happen?” Yesung pointed out with just enough bite that Kyuhyun narrowed his eyes at him cautiously.

“Aren’t we all aliens, Lieutenant Yesung? I have no doubt that Jae will prove to be one of our most powerful allies. How convenient it will be for the captain to have his own personal guide into everybody’s mind.” Kyuhyun’s implied threat did not go unnoticed by Yesung who paled slightly. Yesung had always been highly envious of the captain…this was not a secret.

Yesung smiled at Kyuhyun. “The captain will no doubt be relieved to know he has the love of most and the loyalty of all.”

“Indeed,” Kyuhyun agreed.

****************

“I think I want to wear a blue uniform,” Jaejoong said as he sat on the side of his sickbay bed with his legs dangling back and forth. Jaejoong was wearing standard issue civilian gray clothing that Heechul had provided him with.

Yunho, who was on the floor doing pushups, stopped, and looked up at Jaejoong. “Really?”

“Yes, I think blue will be best. It’s the color of science and healing. I think it will suit me,” Jaejoong explained to Yunho as he watched sweat drip from Yunho, and tried not to lick his lips. Yunho was shirtless, only wearing work out shorts while he exercised on the floor of their sickbay room. Heechul had refused to allow the captain to go to the gym.

“So you are going to join the crew?” Yunho asked as he continued to do pushups.

Jaejoong frowned. “Can’t I just wear the uniform?”

Yunho laughed and lost track of his pushup count and sat on the floor and looked up at the man. “It’s highly irregular…I am sure we can find a spot for you on the crew. We need all the help we can get.”

Jaejoong pondered this. “Well since we can’t get far from each other couldn’t I be your own personal telepath?”

Yunho stood up and moved toward Jaejoong till he was standing between the man’s legs. “What did I say about reading people’s minds?”

Jaejoong smiled up at Yunho. They had been stuck in sickbay with each other for two weeks now. They slept with each other every night but Yunho refused to initiate any amorous contact with Jaejoong other than holding him at night, or holding his hand during the day. Yunho refused to give into Jaejoong even though his attraction for Jaejoong grew stronger everyday. “Of course I would only read the minds you were curious about?”

Yunho shook his head at Jaejoong. “For some reason I don’t believe you. I don’t think you could stop reading minds if you tried.”

Jaejoong wrapped his arms around Yunho’s waist and tugged the sweaty man closer to him. “You aren’t very trusting. I am actually being a very good boy when it comes to your crew and allowing them their privacy.”

Yunho reached up and placed a hand on each side of Jaejoong’s face. “Are you teasing me?”

“Kiss me.”

“Way to avoid the question.”

“You want to kiss me so you should.”

“Do I?”

“Very much so.”

“Not a good idea.”

Jaejoong growled and pushed Yunho away. “You are the tease. If I were a bad person I wouldn’t warn you that Heechul is on his way into the room with very impure thoughts…all directed at you.”

Yunho turned toward the door quickly on guard. Heechul was perhaps the only person that Yunho actually feared. “Impure thoughts?

Jaejoong folded his arms, still pouting from the captain’s refusal to move forward with their relationship. “I would hide if I were you.”

“Hide,” Yunho said, alarmed as the door slid open and Heechul strolled in wearing pink nursing scrubs and wearing blue gloves.

“Captain, it’s time for your prostate exam…we are going to do it the old fashioned way,” Heechul told him with a serious look as he held up his lubed index finger.

“If you come near me with that finger I will have you shaved bald and thrown in the brig! I will also force you to wear nothing but brown,” Yunho warned, not amused, and also sad that the madness seemed to have returned.

“Brown clothing…bald? Really Captain! I was doing my medical duty! Sometimes the old ways are best!” Heechul huffed as he ripped off his gloves and threw them in the trash.

“Medical duty my ass, when are you releasing me? There is no reason for me to be stuck in here. I am perfectly healthy!” Yunho demanded, ready to declare Heechul incompetent just so he could escape sickbay.

“Perfectly healthy? Yes, I would agree. You are perfectly healthy…due to the fact that now you have an empathic, telepathic, all healing bondmate…love slave whatever sick relationship you two have going on. Yes, you are perfectly healthy,” Heechul told him, not bothering to hide his irritation.

Yunho smiled. “Then we are agreed, and I am free of this prison.”

Heechul rolled his eyes. “You are free. You both are free.”

The captain lit up in excitement and flew from the room, not bothering to change his clothing.

Heechul shook his head and turned to Jaejoong. “You know if he’s that petrified by a prostate exam your relationship is going to be terribly one sided when it comes to…”

Jaejoong held up his hand quickly silencing Heechul. “That’s enough…thanks for your concern.”

“Concern? I’m so jealous I could spit. I have been trying to get…” Heechul stopped as Jaejoong ignored him and got up from the bed and headed for the door.

Almost immediately the captain reappeared in the doorway looking embarrassed. “Jae, would you mind coming with me?”

Jaejoong shook his head, amused at the captain. “How far did you get?”

Yunho reached out and grabbed Jaejoong’s hand and pulled him through the door. “I almost got out of sickbay.”

“That’s a slight improvement.”

“So if I accidentally beamed down to a planet without you would I like…die?” Yunho asked casually as they strolled through sickbay on their way out.

“Let’s not test that…please,” Jaejoong begged, grimacing at the thought.

Yunho squeezed Jaejoong’s hand tighter as he practically bounced toward the door exiting sickbay. “Free at last!”

“Nice uniform there, Captain,” Security Chief Sungmin, who was leaning up against the wall outside of Sickbay, told the Captain as Yunho hurried out dragging Jaejoong along with him.

Yunho came to a quick stop and tried to appear serious as he informed Sungmin, “I will change when I get to my quarters. If I stay in there any longer he might think of another reason to hold me.”

“So you are going to your quarters?” Sungmin asked as he walked down the corridor with Yunho and Jaejoong.

“Yes, I am. I am going to change and then I am going to walk the ship. God, how I have missed her,” Yunho said wistfully of his beloved ship.

Sungmin cleared his throat and brought up what he assumed would be an uncomfortable subject. “Where will Jae be staying? I mean there are many empty rooms aboard the ship…but I realize you two need to be in close proximity.”

Yunho frowned. “Chief, let’s finish this discussion in my quarters,” Yunho instructed as a couple ensigns walked down the hallway smiling at their half naked captain.

“Of course Captain,” Sungmin agreed as they hurried down the corridor.

Jaejoong was not smiling when he walked into the captain’s quarters. He let go of Yunho’s hand and plopped down in a chair and stared up at the security chief defiantly, already having read his mind, and not liking what he saw.

Once the door to the quarters was closed Yunho turned to Sungmin. “Jae will have to stay with me. I am physically incapable of being parted from him. I mean the distance is increasing daily…but not enough for me to tempt fate.”

“Perhaps, if he took the Commander Cho’s quarters…they are next to yours? You would still be…” Sungmin suggested.

“No, it’s too risky. If I get called away for an emergency I need him close, so he can accompany me. For now Jae and I will room together,” Yunho interrupted, making his point clear.

“Yes, Sir,” Sungmin said, giving in with a nod. “I hope your stay aboard the Expectations will be pleasant,” Sungmin added, looking at Jaejoong.

“It will be,” Jaejoong assured him. Jaejoong’s annoyed eyes never left Sungmin as the other man turned and left. “I don’t like him,” Jaejoong announced as soon as Sungmin was out of the room.

“Really Jae, he was only doing his job. As security chief he is also responsible for rooming assignments and I am sure Heechul called him the minute he decided he was releasing me. It’s not personal,” Yunho explained as he stepped into the bedroom to shower.

“That’s where you are wrong! It is personal for him,” Jaejoong insisted as he got up and followed Yunho into the bedroom.

“He doesn’t care if we room together,” Yunho assured Jaejoong as he walked into the adjoining bathroom and stepped into the sonic shower.

Jaejoong sat down on the bed and gritted his teeth together in annoyance. “I think you are forgetting something.”

“What?” Yunho yelled from the shower.

“I’m a telepath!”

Yunho stepped out of the sonic shower quickly, grabbed a robe, and walked back into the bedroom. Yunho looked disapprovingly at Jaejoong. “You read his mind?”

“Of course I read his mind…he was trying to separate us!”

“Why would he do that?” Yunho asked as he stepped into the dressing chamber. “What possible reason could he have for wanting to separate us? The entire ship knows about our bond and how distance affects it. Sungmin is a very efficient head of security…if anything he is overly zealous when it comes to my safety.”

“He doesn’t want to hurt us. He knows from Heechul’s test I could safely stay in the next room without it affecting us. It’s just that he thinks if I take the room next to yours….that poor, sad commander of yours will be willing to move in with him.”

When Yunho stepped out of the dressing chamber wearing his red uniform he seemed to be pondering Jaejoong’s words carefully. “Commander Cho is sad?”

Jaejoong looked up puzzled at Yunho. “How can you not know this? He reeks of sadness.”

Yunho sat down on the bed beside Jaejoong and took his hand. “It’s true Commander Cho was…heartbroken for a long time. Losing his husband was very hard on him, but I thought he had gotten better.”

“Better at hiding it perhaps, but one does not truly heal when their one true love dies,” Jaejoong told Yunho, looking at him closely. “I am glad my life ends with yours…I could not imagine my life without you.”

Yunho looked away from Jaejoong extremely uncomfortable. “I think it would be best if we don…”

“It’s the truth. Why you persist on acting shy is beyond me,” Jaejoong told him mentally in his frustration, forgetting his self-made promise to speak aloud as much as possible.

“I am not shy!” Yunho replied, offended, and looked back at Jaejoong. Beautiful, sexy Jaejoong who was on his bed with him, and more than willing… Yunho pushed those thoughts away quick. “I am cautious…there is a big difference.”

Jaejoong smiled as he felt the heat coming from Yunho. Jaejoong pushed Yunho back on the bed and brazenly straddled him. “You want me. I want you. It would only strengthen our bond. It’s inevitable.”

Yunho swallowed and looked at the telepath that he failed miserably at hiding anything from. “Are you reading my mind after I asked you not to?”

“No, but I told you I can’t turn off my empathic powers. I know you want me.”

Yunho gently pushed Jaejoong off of him. “I might…okay I do, but I just can’t forget what’s happened between us. Two weeks ago under the influence of your pheromones I had sex with a blonde woman that turned into you…and now I am bonded to you for life,” Yunho said, wincing at the thought. “So forgive me if I am little cautious.”

Jaejoong sighed from his position on the bed next to Yunho. “I wasn’t actually a woman. I was what you call a hermaphrodite.”

“I had sex with the woman parts.”

“If I’m a man it’s because you wanted me to be a man.”

Yunho sat up quickly. “What?”

Jaejoong sat up next to Yunho and couldn’t help but laugh. “During the bonding process the Joong always takes on the form the mate finds most desirable.”

Yunho stared at Jaejoong wide eyed and sputtered, “You are kidding me.”

Jaejoong tried not to laugh at his poor, deluded mate. “Were you not aware of your preference?”

Yunho closed his eyes and shook his head. “I usually only acted on my attraction to females. With men it was rare, but…”

Jaejoong smiled and took Yunho’s hand and squeezed it. “If say they were pretty.”

Yunho opened his eyes and looked Jaejoong directly in eye. “If they were beautiful.”

Jaejoong scooted closer to Yunho and spoke aloud in a firm, convincing voice. “We belong to each other. You are what I desire most, and I am what you desire most. We are each other’s one true love. It’s time we take pleasure in each other.”

Yunho got up quickly from the bed. “Umm…I just got released form Sickbay. Speaking of true loves I had one long before I met you, and I have severely been neglecting her.”

“Your ship?”

“Yes, so come along and I will introduce you to the fairest ship in any galaxy…the beautiful Expectations,” Yunho said, suddenly much happier as he pulled Jaejoong up from the bed.

*************

“Commander, I am picking up a signal,” Ensign Eunhyuk said with surprise clearly heard in his voice.

Commander Cho, who was sitting behind him in the captain’s chair, picked up quickly on the surprise in the ensign’s voice. “What kind of signal?”

“I believe it’s an SOS,” Ensign Eunhyuk answered as he turned around to answer the commander.

Lieutenant Jung who had been at his science console stepped down from the upper bridge and came to stand beside Commander Cho and added, “He is correct, Commander. It’s an old earth distress signal, also known as Morse Code.”

“Morse Code in this galaxy? What are the odds?” The commander asked in wonderment.

“Approximately 9,136, 583, 876 to 1 that a planet evolved so similarly to Earth that the distress signals would be exact,” Changmin answered without hesitation.

“So…the person sending the signal is most likely from our own galaxy?” Commander Cho asked and he cursed the sense of hope that started spreading throughout him.

Changmin eyed the commander carefully before he answered, “That Sir, or they have had contact with somebody from our galaxy.”

Commander fought to keep his excitement hidden. “Ensign Junsu, plot a course to intercept that distress signal. Warp six.”

*****************

Jaejoong couldn’t stop laughing at Yoochun the chief engineer. The captain had given Jaejoong an extensive tour of the ship and had said he had saved the best for last. The captain’s eyes had lit up like a boy in love the minute he had entered engineering. Jaejoong had just leaned up against a wall and motioned him on watching carefully, making sure Yunho did not get to far from him. The chief engineer had not been present when they first entered engineering so Yunho was getting the guided tour from a very excited, eager young ensign called Henry.

Jaejoong had been carefully watching Yunho and enjoying the other man’s excited emotions when the chief engineer had leaned up against the wall next to him and started propositioning him.

“The captain isn’t somebody who would take kindly to being bonded to somebody. You should just hook up with me instead and spare him the commitment,” the chief engineer told him.

“Should I?” Jaejoong asked, trying to keep the laughter out of his voice.

Yoochun nodded his head in agreement. “Some men are lovers and some men are fighters,” he assured Jaejoong as he pointed toward the captain. “I love him dearly, but he’s a fighter. He had to be, to save all our lives. He belongs to a ship full of people who need him desperately, and you don’t look like a man who likes to share.”

“How did you know that?”

The chief engineer licked his lips and said in a deep, husky voice, “Because I understand your soul. I think we might be soul mates, beautiful.”

Jaejoong couldn’t fight the laughter that came pouring out of him. “I am pretty sure it isn’t my soul you are interested in.”

Yoochun blushed. “Oh, right… you’re a telepath.”

“Right and….” Jaejoong trailed off as he felt jealousy radiating off Yunho who had stopped paying attention to Henry and whose eyes were focused on Jaejoong and the chief engineer. Jaejoong smiled in delight as he hurried away from Yoochun and practically ran to Yunho.

“Jae,” Yunho hissed in mock disapproval as Jaejoong latched onto Yunho wrapping his arms around him and squeezing him tightly. “Did Yoochun scare you off?”

“Nope, it was your wonderful jealously that made me hurry to you. It was so strong and then I couldn’t help but read that you wanted to rip his he …”

“Enough of that!” Yunho interrupted, placing a hand over Jaejoong’s mouth. Yunho turned to the amused ensign who was standing beside them. “Henry, thank you for the tour.”

“You are welcome, Captain.”

“Jae, sometimes I think you should just send me telepathic messages,” Yunho grumbled as he tried to remove Jaejoong’s arms that were wrapped snuggly around him as he headed toward the engineering exit.

“I am thinking that I love jealousy on you…it’s sexy.” Jaejoong told him mentally as he fought with Yunho not to relinquish his hold on him.

“Do I smell?” Yoochun asked as the captain and Jaejoong neared. Yoochun lifted his arm and sniffed his underarm to emphasize his point.

“What?” Yunho asked, surprised at the engineer’s question.

Yoochun pointed toward Jaejoong. “He ran off like I smelled.”

“No, Yunho was jealous and I wanted to grab him before a more noble emotion could surface. I like jealousy! I was hoping I could get him to finally…”

“Jae!” Yunho snapped at his mate who had both arms around him again.

Jaejoong just smiled at him. “I was just answering his question…I only talk to you mentally my love, my mate, my everything.”

“Jealous? Oops…bad me,” the chief engineer told them, watching the pair with very observant eyes. Jaejoong was looking at Yunho with pure love in his eyes…and surprisingly Yunho’s eyes had the same look in them even if he was grimacing.

“Bad you,” Yunho told Yoochun, agreeing with the engineer, and also staking his claim to Jaejoong which caused Jaejoong to squeeze him tighter. “I will forgive you though, because once again your department is in impeccable condition.”

“Thank you, Captain.”

“We will be leaving now, and try not to corrupt Ensign Henry,” Yunho informed them as Ensign Henry came to stand beside Chief Engineer Yoochun.

“It’s impossible, Captain. I have tried and he’s disgustedly heterosexual. Unlike I who love all genders, he’s a boob man.”

The captain shook his head at the engineer. “If you weren’t one of my oldest friends and an engineering genius…”

“Captain, you are needed on the bridge,” Commander Cho’s voice suddenly announced over the captain’s insignia that was attached to his shirt.

“We just went to warp six,” Yoochun said, his amorous thoughts suddenly gone as he looked at an engineering panel on the wall.

Yunho shared a look of concern with Yoochun before tapping his insignia. “I’m on my way.”

Jaejoong let go of Yunho as the seriousness of situation filled his senses. Jaejoong followed closely alongside Yunho as the other man left engineering and made his way to the bridge.

Yunho was barely out of engineering when he tapped his insignia again. “What’s going on?”

“We have detected a distress signal coming from a planet. The distress signal is an old Earth distress signal called SOS.”

The captain did not hit his insignia again as he digested the news that Commander Cho had just given him. Could it be? Was it even possible? What did this mean for the crew?

“Yunho! You are going to make me break my promise not to read your mind. Why is that such a big deal?” 

Yunho continued to hurry on his way, but he did spare a quick glance toward the man holding his hand, and walking quickly beside him. “Nobody in this galaxy should have that signal. You know of the black hole that killed most of the crew?”

“Yes.”

“Well, before we were sucked into that black hole, we were trying to save one of our shuttle crafts. The shuttle craft got sucked in first. We were never able to find the shuttle craft….we just assumed it had been destroyed in the black hole. The black hole should have destroyed us all, and it would have if not for a strange space anomaly that stranded us here.”

“You think this could be your lost shuttle craft?”

“Yes, I hope so. I pray so, but I can’t help but worry about Commander Cho.”

“Why?”

“His husband was one of the crew members lost on that shuttle craft.”

Jaejoong took in that information as they reached the elevator. Yunho ordered for the elevator to take them to the bridge. “Well I hope it is. I hope they are united.”,

“Do you know what the chances are of them being alive and well after all this time…stranded on some strange planet?”

“I know there is always hope.”

Yunho smiled at him. “I hope so, too. I lost one of my oldest and dearest friends on that shuttle craft.” The elevator door opened and Yunho stepped onto the bridge and took immediate command. “Report.”

*****************

Jaejoong sat quietly in his seat next to Yunho on the bridge. Yunho sat in the captain’s chair that was in the center of the bridge, and Jaejoong sat beside him in a chair that has once been reserved for the ship’s counselor that was now dead…along with so many of the crew. Jaejoong looked over the bridge crew and realized how young they were. How many of them had been thrust into positions of great responsibility due to the death of their elders? Jaejoong turned and stared at his Yunho…none had a more responsibility than his Yunho. He remembered that first day he touched Yunho’s mind. The tragic memories of Yunho’s life for the last year had come flooding back. His heart ached as he envisioned Yunho stepping up, and mastering the chaos that filled the ship, when so many of their crew laid dead and dying around them. How many had they lost?

“Too many,” Yunho answered startling Jaejoong, who had not even realized he had sent out the question.

“Too many what?” Changmin questioned as he came around and took Commander Cho’s seat that was vacated on the other side of Yunho as the anxious Commander paced the back of the bridge.

“We’ve lost too many on this journey,” Yunho explained to the man barely younger than him, who also happened to be his son.

“Yes, hundreds too many,” Changmin agreed, looking at Jaejoong. Changmin was highly curious about the captain’s…his father’s bondmate, but Jaejoong rarely even spared him a glance.

“It’s tragic,” Jaejoong agreed, doing his best to avoid looking at Changmin. He instead scooted farther back in his chair and focused on the screen at the front of the bridge and of the stars flashing by at warp speed.

“Captain, you do know you can not be on the away team,” Changmin whispered to the captain.

“Do I?”

“You could not beam down to the planet without him, and that is strictly against Star Fleet regulations,” Changmin explained. The look of annoyance the captain gave Changmin made him quickly explain, “What if something happened and you two got separated? He has to accompany you to the bridge even. Do you really want to beam down to a planet knowing you have to stay within a fifty feet radius of somebody?”

“We could fix that if you weren’t so uptight,” Jaejoong snapped mentally, not taking his gaze off the screen.

“Of course you are correct. I just don’t like it,” the captain admitted as he subtly elbowed Jaejoong for his comment.

“I am not particularly happy with it either. I think you would be a much more suitable choice to lead the away team than….” Changmin stopped suddenly darting his eyes to the back of the bridge where the commander was pacing.

“I know. You will just have to keep an eye on him, and call me at the first sign of trouble,” Yunho instructed as he sighed, not liking his options.

“You realize those two are eavesdropping?” Jaejoong suddenly asked, pointing to the helmsman and the navigator who sat at their stations directly in front of them.

Yunho smiled as Ensigns Junsu and Eunhyuk turned around quickly, red-faced. “Not the slightest bit surprised.”

Junsu swallowed nervously and told the captain, “Captain, we have arrived at the planet.”

Yunho stood up and walked over to Junsu and squeezed his shoulder affectionately. “Put us in orbit, ensign. Lieutenant Jung, what can you tell me about the planet?”

Changmin who had returned to his science station answered the captain, “It’s a class M planet. The area the distress signal is coming from is rich in vegetation and has multiple life signs.”

“Can you differentiate between animal and humanoid life signs?” Yunho asked.

“No Sir, not from this distance,” Changmin explained.

Commander Cho was suddenly beside the captain. “Captain? The away team? Should I assemble one?”

“I have already picked the members of the away team, Commander. The away team will consist of you, Lieutenant Jung, Security Chief Sungmin, and Ensign Junsu,” the captain explained, causing Ensign Junsu to break out in a big smile and Ensign Eunhyuk to frown at being left behind.

*************************

The away team materialized on a grassy piece of ground on the planet. Ensign Junsu reached up and shielded his eyes from the bright sun that shined down upon them.

“Lieutenant?” Commander Cho asked as his eyes adjusted to the bright, sunny day.

Changmin who was studying his tricorder intently pointed to the left toward a small grouping of trees. “The signal is coming from that direction.”

The four members of the away party followed Changmin, who led them in the direction of the distress signal. Sungmin pulled out his phaser as a precaution but couldn’t help but add, “If this planet proves to be safe this would be a lovely place for shore leave.”

“I couldn’t agree more, it’s nice down here,” Junsu was quick to concur.

“Can we stop planning shore leave and focus on our objective,” Commander Cho snapped as his nerves flared. He cursed his anxiety that was close to controlling him. He kept reminding himself the chances were very slim, but he couldn’t kill the hope that refused to die inside of him.

“Yes Sir,” Junsu quickly answered, feeling for the man. Junsu looked at Sungmin and wondered how strange it must be for him to be on a planet looking for his lover’s husband.

They all walked through the trees and entered another clearing and stood frozen as they found a perfectly intact shuttle craft…their missing shuttle craft. Commander Cho rushed toward the shuttle craft as the others followed, trying to catch up with him. Commander Cho quickly reached the shuttle craft and found it locked. He typed in the standard shuttle craft entry code and the door opened. Commander Cho hurried inside the shuttle craft and found it empty.

The others quickly followed. “There is nobody in here,” Junsu pointed out as he stepped around the commander who was frozen in place.

“That’s obvious to all,” Lieutenant Jung said, stepping around Junsu to go to the shuttle’s control panel in the front.

“There is bedding and this…” Sungmin paused as he reached down and picked up a piece of fruit. “this is fresh fruit. They have been living in here.”

“Somebody has been,” Changmin corrected from the front of the shuttle.

Commander Cho bent down and picked up an old fashioned notebook that lay open on the shuttle floor with a familiar script sprawled out on its pages. “No, Ryeowook’s been here… and recently.”

Sungmin’s heart sank as he watched Kyuhyun practically caress the notebook as if it were the most precious thing in the galaxy. Sungmin swallowed down his emotions and nodded his head. “His notebooks…of course he would have had them with him.”

“What if they are all alive?” Junsu asked in awe.

“Dr. Cho is a very gifted doctor, but it is highly unlikely the female members of the crew or Commander Leeteuk would have been spared,” Changmin said from the front of the shuttle.

“Commander Leeteuk is not that much older than Heechul,” Sungmin pointed out.

“The effects were crippling though, and people only weeks older than Dr. Kim died…and Dr. Kim lost most of his mind…his brilliant mind,” Changmin said bitter-sweetly of the loss of Dr. Kim’s genius.

“Lieutenant, have you found the reason for the crash?” Commander Cho asked as he walked back to the door still clutching the notebook and stared out. He was very anxious to find the survivors…his beloved husband.

“It wasn’t a crash. Their dilithium crystals were severely depleted and one can only assume they landed here as a safety precaution. Unfortunately dilithium is not a natural element on this planet,” Changmin explained.

“So they were stranded,” Junsu replied as he followed the commander back outside.

“Yes,” Changmin answered as he and Sungmin followed the other two out of the shuttle craft. “They have enough energy to maintain the basic systems of the shuttle craft to send out a primitive distress code, but they could never take flight again.”

“Is that a garden?” Sungmin asked, pointing to a patch of ground that looked especially cared for.

“Yes,” Commander Cho answered as he walked to the garden and stared down at it fondly.

“The fact that Dr. Cho was originally from such a conservative colony that rejected technological advancement might have proved to be very beneficial for them,” Changmin told them.

“Do we wait for them to return, or do we go and find them?” Junsu asked.

Sungmin looked at Commander Cho who was still staring at the garden tenderly and then looked at patch of worn ground they were standing on. “There seems to be a trail. We could follow it.”

Sungmin’s words snapped Kyuhyun out of his reflections. He stuffed Ryeowook’s notebook in his jacket, and pulled out his communicator. “Captain, we have found the shuttle craft intact. It appears there are survivors.”

“Commander, you have not encountered a survivor yet?”

“No Captain, but we are eager to search for them,” Commander Cho told the captain.

“I am sure you are. Did you find out why they landed on the planet?” the captain asked over the communicator.

“Lieutenant Jung discovered their dilithium crystals were severely depleted. They were unable to maintain flight,” Commander Cho answered as he eyed the trail longingly, wanting nothing more than to find his long lost spouse.

“Then proceed with caution. And Commander…”

“Yes, Captain?”

“Be safe,” the captain told him.

“Understood.”

 

******************

They had been following the trail for almost an hour and it led them up along side a river of rapidly flowing water. “It must have rained recently,” Junsu said, eyeing the rolling water. On the other side of the trail was a very green forest.

“With this level of healthy vegetation this area is assured to get a steady amount of rain fall. But most of the water fueling the river drains off the surrounding hills,” Changmin said in response to Junsu’s statement as he eyed the multiple hills in the near distance.

“I am glad they were stuck on such a seemingly pleasant planet,” Sungmin offered up honestly. He had once called Ryeowook his best friend, and he was glad the man was still alive, although he dreaded having to face that old friend again.

“Appearances can be deceiving,” Commander Cho couldn’t help adding as his hand kept coming up to touch the notebook that was resting inside his jacket. He wanted to desperately stop and read it, but of course there was one thing he wanted more so he continued to lead the way.

Sungmin had put away his phaser, when it was determined there was no immediate danger. He tried to force thoughts of what Ryeowook’s return meant for him and Kyuhyun’s relationship. “I wonder if Prince Siwon survived.”

“I see no reason why he would not have. He was male and in his mid twenties,” Changmin answered as he slowed his pace.

“Just think none of this would have happened if we were not asked to escort him to his wedding. If Star Fleet had not been so eager to appease his warring parents…so many would still be alive,” Junsu said wistfully, almost running into Changmin who had come to a dead stop in front of him.

“I need less babbling and more focusing on the mission,” Commander Cho chastised as he turned around to face his away party. His eyes widened when he noticed that Changmin had stopped and looked alarmed. “Lieutenant, what’s wrong?”

Changmin had his tricorder lowered and his eyes and ears seemed to be at full alert. “Commander, something isn’t right?”

“Care to clarify?” Commander Cho asked. He was immediately on guard, pulling out his phaser. Sungmin and Junsu had also taken out their phasers.

“I have no data to support this…conclusion,” Changmin confessed, when a loud screaming was heard coming from the forest on the other side of them.

“Phasers on stun!” Commander Cho ordered immediately. They all stood on guard when to their shock a very naked Commander Leeteuk burst through the trees.

Commander Leeteuk stopped running when he saw them and smiled brightly. “Well hello!”

“Hello,” Kyuhyun replied back to him stunned, completely at a loss.

“Commander, why are you running?” Changmin asked, finding his tongue quickly.

Commander Leeteuk looked puzzled and then frowned. “I don’t recall. I best keep running! I’m sure I had my reasons,” he told them and then took off running again.

The four members of the way team shared a confused look with each other, and then took off after the naked commander. They had barely gone a hundred feet when a very large furious looking bear-like creature jumped out of the wooded forest and without warning, attacked. It went after Sungmin, swiping him with its huge paw that had all its claws extended out, and knocked Sungmin into the raging river.

Kyuhyun, Junsu, and Changmin immediately took aim with their phasers dropping the huge creature.

Commander Cho immediately had his communicator out. “Captain, latch on to Sungmin’s insignia and beam him back to the ship now.”

“It’s still moving!” Junsu shouted and shot the animal again.

The captain’s voice broke out over their communicators a moment later. “Commander, all we got back was a torn piece of his uniform that had his insignia on it. What the hell is going on?”

“Fuck!” Commander Cho shouted as he took off running in the direction the river had taken Sungmin. Ensign Junsu hurried after him.

“Captain, we were attacked by a very large bear-like creature that makes the grizzlies of Earth look small. It knocked Security Chief Sungmin into a river of rapidly running water. The water is very swift. Commander Cho and Ensign Junsu have taken off in the direction of the running water now in hopes of catching up with the Security Chief Sungmin,” Lieutenant Jung answered.

“I am sending a security detail down,” the captain informed Changmin, his frustration at being stuck on the ship clearly heard in his voice.

“Captain, also before we were attacked Commander Leeteuk appeared,” Changmin told the captain. “He was clearly insane.”

“Changmin, what are Sungmin’s chances?” the captain asked, his voice full of concern.

“I believe his chances of surviving are minimal. His injuries are extensive. The bear seemed to have slashed across his chest with its very long and sharp claws, ripping him apart. His wounds are most likely fatal even if we do manage to find him and return him to the ship. Dr. Kim’s limited recalled knowledge will doubtfully not be enough to save him,” Changmin answered, completely and brutally honest.

“Our mission now is to rescue Sungmin from the river, and to find Dr. Cho as fast as possible. We are not going to rescue Sungmin only to lose him,” the captain said firmly over the communicator, willing it to be true.

“Understood,” Lieutenant Jung told the captain as seven security guards materialized around him.


	2. Chapter 2

Jaejoong followed Yunho into the Officer’s Lounge that was connected to the bridge. Jaejoong could feel Yunho’s distress at being stuck on the ship and separated from his away team.

Jaejoong sat directly on the table, ignoring the chairs as he watched Yunho pace the room. He watched as Yunho fought an internal battle with himself. The thought that his crew was in danger and there wasn’t anything he could do but wait on the ship did not sit well with the captain. “Come to me…be with me.”

Yunho stopped pacing and eyed Jaejoong, not hungrily but with a new necessity in his eyes. “It would be for the wrong reasons…it’s always been for the wrong reasons.”

“You have an outdated notion of right and wrong. It has never been for the wrong reasons. It wasn’t wrong to save your life and it wouldn’t be wrong now.”

“If we had sex would I be able to beam down to that planet?”

“Not without me…”

“Then what purpose would it serve? I can’t have sex while members of my crew are in danger.”

“The purpose would be to start strengthening the bond so that someday you can visit planets without me.”

“Are you even sure that day will come?”

“Yes, I have reason to believe that our bond will indeed be strong enough someday to span great distances.”

Yunho studied Jaejoong closely and saw the truth of his words. “Why? Why do you believe that?”

Jaejoong looked away from the captain, unable to meet his eyes. “I can’t tell you that…yet, but it’s true. You just have to trust me.”

“Computer, lock the door to my command only,” Yunho ordered aloud to the Expectation’s main computer that controlled the ship.

“Yes, Captain,” the automated voice of the computer answered, locking the door.

Jaejoong looked back at the captain and reached out his arms for him. “Come to me.”

“I do trust you…implicitly. I don’t want you to think I am only doing this so one day I can be free of you…I do care for you,” Yunho explained as he stepped up to Jaejoong.

“I know you care for me.”

“I do…the pull between us is very strong,” Yunho told him as he reached up and cupped Jaejoong’s face. “I have never wanted anybody as much as I want you.”

Jaejoong placed both of his hands to Yunho’s face. “Proximity strengthens our bond, but this will be different. When we do this it will be like a gateway is opened between our minds. There will be no use for words.”

Yunho took a step backwards, pulling away from Jaejoong’s touch. “What do you mean by that? Will we know each other’s every thought?”

“No, I will only know your surface thoughts that you direct toward me…and your desires. I would not go deeper into your mind without your permission…but you will also know my surface thoughts. Once the bond is firmly established we will not need spoken words with each other. You will be able to send me messages…telepathically,” Jaejoong explained, reaching out his hand for Yunho again.

“What if I don’t want to send you messages telepathically? I like spoken words,” Yunho said with his eyes narrowing at the thought.

Jaejoong chuckled. “Then we will do spoken words. Now is the time for you push your doubts aside and move forward with me. I know you are ready.”

“Do you want to know what I know? I know members of my crew - my Changmin - is down on a planet with giant bears. I know I have to suck up my reservations and just do this, but it’s not how I wanted it to be,” Yunho said, moving back to Jaejoong who immediately grabbed him and pulled him closer.

“You don’t have to suck anything. You only have to do what feels good.”

Yunho blushed. “That isn’t what I….”

Jaejoong hushed Yunho with a firm kiss to the lips. “Don’t think…just feel. Feel me.”

In response to Jaejoong’s mental plea Yunho pulled Jaejoong tightly to him and kissed the other man back. Jaejoong’s hands ran over Yunho’s firm, hard body while at the same time his mind tried to open the gateway between them. Yunho’s mouth moved away from Jaejoong’s lips and slid down his neck as his hands slid under Jaejoong’s shirt and quickly pulled it up over Jaejoong’s head and tossed it on the floor.

Jaejoong’s body melted under Yunho’s touch but Yunho’s mind still remained closed to him. The moments passed, the passion flared, but the gateway did not open. Jaejoong soon found himself pushed back against the table as Yunho, who was still fully clothed, went to work, removing Jaejoong’s pants. Jaejoong reached down and grabbed Yunho’s hands, startling him. Yunho who had been kissing, sucking, and leaving marks up and down Jaejoong’s chest and abdomen stopped as he pulled back to stare at the man underneath him.

“Kiss me again,” Jaejoong ordered mentally as he released Yunho’s hands and placed both of his hands on either side of Yunho’s face, pulling the other man down for a desperate kiss. Once Yunho’s hands were free he quickly went to work on Jaejoong’s pants while at the same time kissing the man passionately. Yunho smiled into the kiss as he succeeded in removing Jaejoong’s pants. Jaejoong wrapped both of his legs around Yunho’s waist while at the same time trying to force the gateway between them open.

No matter how much Jaejoong tried the gateway between their minds remained closed. Jaejoong sighed into a kiss that was desperate for all the wrong reasons, and with a cry of disappointment he pushed Yunho away.

“This isn’t going to work.”

“No,” Yunho admitted, looking around the room. “We need a lubricant.”

“What?”

“You know what I mean, but there isn’t anything in here that we can use.”

“We don’t need a lubricant.”

Yunho squinted. “Wouldn’t that hurt? I’m not an expert by any means. I don’t want to hurt you…although I guess you would heal yourself pretty fast, but still.”

Jaejoong closed his eyes and shook his head as Yunho missed the point entirely. “As sweet as your concern for my comfort is, it’s unnecessary. I am not human as I have told you repeatedly. My prostate does its own lubricating.”

Yunho tilted his head and scrunched up his nose as every human biology class he had ever taken flooded back to him. “How is that even possible?”

“Not human,” Jaejoong snapped aloud as he rubbed the palms of his hands against his face. “That isn’t even the problem.”

Yunho stared at the naked man on the table. “Then what’s the problem?”

“It’s not working.”

“It’s working for me I assure you.”

Jaejoong looked down at Yunho’s hardened cock that was still covered by clothing. “Your body is willing, but your mind…your mind isn’t there.”

Yunho stepped closer to Jaejoong and took his hand. “The body is what’s important. You keep saying sex is the answer.”

Jaejoong shook his head frantically. “I thought if we made love…your mind would open to me, but this is just sex…and sex isn’t enough. Sex is just physical contact.”

“I don’t understand,” Yunho said, reaching up a hand and running it through Jaejoong’s hair.

“Although your body is more than willing, you have one thing on your mind right now, and it’s not me. It’s helping your people.”

“I told you that, that’s why I was so hesitant. You said it wouldn’t matter.”

“I thought I could still open the gateway between us, but your mind is much more complex then I originally thought. You have been exposed to another telepath and it has strengthened you,” Jaejoong admitted, avoiding Yunho’s gaze. “Your mind will open to me when it’s ready and not a moment before.”

“Another telepath? Of course I’ve known telepaths. The Betazoids are members of the Federation and I have known some through Star Fleet…but I’ve never been really close to them,” Yunho said, pondering Jaejoong’s words.

Jaejoong continued to look away nervously. “I guess you were closer than you thought. What matters is that our having sex will not strengthen our bond enough. Only making love will…and you are not there.”

Yunho reached down and grabbed Jaejoong’s shirt that he had thrown on the floor in his haste. “Don’t be embarrassed…it’s not you. I just…I can’t help but focus on the away team.”

Jaejoong smiled and raised his arms up as Yunho slid his shirt back on for him. “I know. It’s why you are a great captain.”

Yunho bent back down and grabbed Jaejoong’s pants and placed them back on Jaejoong, threading his legs through them. Jaejoong slid off the table and Yunho finished pulling his pants up. “When this is over, when they are all safe,” Yunho said, pulling Jaejoong in for a hug, “then we will have our time.”

“I know.”

“And for the right reasons,” Yunho told him as he bent down for another kiss, but was interrupted when Ensign Eunhyuk’s voice came over the intercom.

“Captain, we are getting a message from Commander Cho.”

Yunho quickly let go of Jaejoong and hurried through the door to the bridge. “Let’s hear it.”

“Captain, the water is too fast. We have been unable to find Sungmin,” Commander Cho’s voice told them.

“Commander, keep looking. I am going to send down a shuttle craft to assist with the search,” the captain told him.

“Yes, Sir.”

The captain tapped his insignia. “Commander Yoochun, I need a shuttle craft ready to depart as soon as possible.”

“Aye, Aye Captain, I will have it ready in five minutes,” the chief engineer told him quickly and confidently.

**************

Sungmin had fought to remain afloat for miles but the pain in his left side and the blood loss worked against him. The current kept trying to pull him under to a watery grave. He struggled with the last of his strength to stay afloat but lost the battle as the current won and pulled him completely under.

His mind was viciously cruel to him, as his lungs filled with water and thoughts of Kyuhyun and Ryeowook filled his head. Kyuhyun would find Ryeowook on this planet that would claim his life. Sungmin doubted that Kyuhyun would even spare a moment mourning him. Kyuhyun would be happy again, happiness he could never find with Sungmin. Happiness that Kyuhyun had found at the Academy,years ago with the most unlikely person. Sungmin remembered Kyuhyun’s initial outrage when the stewards had given him what he had called a person from a backwater primitive planet as a roommate. Sungmin had befriended the chubby, extremely awkward Ryeowook, feeling sorry for him as the other cadets took delight in tormenting him.

Kyuhyun has mocked Ryeowook ruthlessly at first, but then something had changed. Ryeowook’s honesty, innocence, and sincerity had touched something in the bitter, spoiled son of powerful admirals…something that Sungmin had never come close to touching. Sungmin, who had loved Kyuhyun from the first time he saw him at the Star Fleet entrance exams, was forced to watch helplessly as Kyuhyun and Ryeowook fell hopelessly in love with each other.

He was forced to push his feelings aside and be the supportive friend of both, but all the time wishing things were different. Wishing Kyuhyun was his, while at the same time allowing Ryeowook to call him best friend. When Ryeowook was thought dead, a horrendous guilt has befallen Sungmin. The guilt was not enough though in the end, not enough to push a grief stricken Kyuhyun away when he had sought comfort in Sungmin. No, the guilt had not been enough.

Sungmin thought death was perhaps a kinder end than facing Ryeowook again…facing that trusting friend. Yes, he would rather die than live with the consequences of his betrayal. He’d rather die than watch Kyuhyun flee back into those arms he not only craved but loved with all his heart. So Sungmin accepted the inevitability of his death. Maybe this way Ryeowook never needed to know. Kyuhyun would lie to protect Ryeowook from any pain, and what member of the crew would willingly hurt the very beloved Dr. Cho? Sungmin would die and take his and Kyuhyun’s dirty secret with him to his watery grave.

But just when all hope was lost and death was embraced, a hand reached down through the water and grabbed a hold of Sungmin, pulling him toward the surface.

**************

“I got him,” Siwon barely got the words out of his mouth as he gasped for beloved air and broke the water’s surface. Kangin, who was searching the water nearby, swam over quickly to assist Siwon.

“Doc, we got him!” Kangin screamed from the river as he helped Siwon pull the unconscious body toward the riverbank.

“I don’t think he is breathing,” Siwon added worriedly.

“Hurry,” Dr. Cho instructed, watching them anxiously from the bank. “Do you recognize him?”

Kangin looked back at the body and furrowed his brows. “Doc, its Ensign Lee from security.”

Ryeowook paled and shouted, “Sungmin!”

“He doesn’t look good. He has deep wounds to his left side,” Siwon told the doctor as he and Kangin were finally able to stand up in the water.

“It looks like a bear got him,” Kangin explained as he and Siwon both lifted Sungmin from the water.

“I don’t think he’s breathing,” Siwon repeated as he and Kangin laid Sungmin on the bank in front of the doctor, who already had his ear pressed against the wounded man’s chest, listening.

“No, he isn’t,” Ryeowook informed them as he immediately began CPR. Siwon and Kangin stood beside Ryeowook as they watched him work on the wounded man.

“Is he going to make it?” Kangin asked as Ryeowook took turns breathing into Sungmin’s mouth and doing compressions on his chest.

Ryeowook ignored Kangin’s question as he worked swiftly to save Sungmin’s life. Ryeowook let out a sigh of relief when Sungmin started coughing and expelling water from his lungs. Ryeowook’s relief was short lived because as soon as Sungmin’s heart started pumping again the wound on his side started gushing blood. “Kangin, I need you to hold pressure here.”

Kangin bent down and quickly placed his hands on the site that Ryeowook pointed to. “If he is here…does that mean the rest of them are here too?”

Ryeowook stood up and looked around them. “I don’t have time to think about that. I need you to gather up as much of the Coagul Herb as you can find to slow his bleeding. I need to get him back to the shuttle craft so I can stitch him up.”

“The bears are going to smell that blood,” Siwon pointed out, making the other two men frown.

“That’s right, they are going to be on him like a Sunday Dinner,” Kangin agreed as he looked up to the sky. “These stink repellant necklaces won’t keep them away if they smell blood,” Kangin told them as he fingered the necklace around his neck. All three of them had similar necklaces on.

“Then let’s move him to the cave, and then find the herb. Once he stops bleeding I can wrap up his wounds enough to hide the smell from the bears. I need him in the shuttle so I can monitor him. He’s in very serious condition,” Ryeowook told them as Kangin bent down and picked Sungmin up while Ryeowook placed pressure on the wound.

“Doc, what we need is for the Expectations to beam us up. You need a sickbay,” Kangin told him.

“I would love a sickbay right now. I can’t pin all my hopes on them rescuing us though, Sungmin can’t wait that long,” Ryeowook said, walking down the path toward the cave while applying pressure to Sungmin’s wound at the same time.

Siwon who was gathering the herb along the way added, “I think the chances for rescue are good though. They must have heard our distress signal…why else would he be here?”

“I have confidence that Captain Seung will rescue us,” Kangin said, and then grinned. “Well that’s if Yunho hasn’t stolen his command out from under him yet.”

“Yunho is a little young to be captain,” Ryeowook pointed out as he studied his patient, not liking what he saw.

“Yeah, but he will make a good one someday,” Kangin laughed and said.

“No doubt,” Ryeowook muttered, walking backwards as he applied pressure to Sungmin’s wound.

“Are you even excited?” Kangin asked.

Ryeowook who was studying Sungmin intently, said in a wistful voice, “Nobody wants to be rescued more than me.”

Kangin grinned down at Ryeowook. “I am sure Kyuhyun has lost his mind over you.”

Ryeowook couldn’t hide a smile at the mention of his husband. “Kyuhyun is a lot stronger than that.”

*******************

“We still have no sign of the security chief, or anybody else,” Commander Cho said as he headed along the path that followed along the river edge.

“Proceed with caution, Commander,” the captain ordered.

“We will, Sir,” Commander Cho said, as he flipped his communicator off.

Ensign Junsu watched the shuttle that flew above the river scanning for anything that could be the injured security chief. “It doesn’t look good, does it?”

Lieutenant Jung cast a look at the ensign and shook his head. It didn’t look good. The shuttle craft had yet to find any trace of Sungmin. Commander Cho walked ahead of them, determined to follow the path till he found the lost crew of the shuttle craft…the lost doctor.

Junsu turned around and watched the seven security guards who closely followed them with their phasers drawn ready for anything. “Big, bad bears, we are ready for you now,” Junsu muttered mostly to himself.

***************

 

Sungmin’s world was a blur of hot fire and pain. He was convinced he was in hell. He was burning in hell for betraying his friend. “Ryeowook, I’m so sorry!”

Ryeowook, who was packing Sungmin’s wound with the Coagul Herb, looked down sadly at the delirious, feverous man. “Sungmin, it’s okay. There isn’t anything to be sorry about. Calm down.”

Sungmin reached up with his right hand and grabbed Ryeowook’s shirt. “You have to forgive me. Save me from this hell.”

“Sungmin, calm down. You are not in hell. You are injured but I am going to take care of you,” Ryeowook promised, grabbing Sungmin’s right hand and holding it, trying to comfort the injured man.

The prince who was sitting nearby eating berries as he watched Ryeowook attend to the injured man offered, “He seems most regretful about something.”

“That he does,” Kangin couldn’t help but agree as he went through their second home, ,looking for anything that could be used as a dressing.

“He is just delirious,” Ryeowook insisted as he looked down at the crying man whose eyes were now open and glued to him.

“I loved him first,” Sungmin cried, “you took him away from me. We thought you were dead. He needed me…he wanted me.”

Ryeowook swallowed nervously as something in Sungmin’s words alarmed him, setting off internal alarms. “What are you saying?”

“Shit,” Kangin said, walking over to the doctor.

Sungmin shook his head frantically and sobbed. “He was mine….but now…he will leave me. He will want you back…he will leave me. Leave me.”

Ryeowook stopped packing Sungmin’s wound and asked in a voice full of unease, “Sungmin, are you and Kyuhyun lovers?”

A very diaphoretic, injured Sungmin whimpered and confessed, “Yes, but he doesn’t love me. He never loved me.”

Ryeowook’s eyes widened in alarm, sensing the truth of Sungmin’s words but he refused to believe them. “You’re injured…you don’t know what you are saying.”

“I’m so sorry…we thought you were dead,” Sungmin cried, closing his eyes tightly. “He will want you back…he will leave me.”

“Sungmin,” Ryeowook whispered, the pain easily heard in his voice. His hands still paused over the injured man’s wound. As hard as he wished to deny the truth of Sungmin’s words, he knew better.

Kangin, who was standing behind Ryeowook, reached down a hand and squeezed his shoulder. “Do you want me to throw him back in the river, Doc?”

Siwon stood up quickly. “What? You can’t do that!”

“No, you can’t do that,” Ryeowook agreed as he resumed packing Sungmin’s wound. “Siwon, bring me some of the Aceta Root. It will help with his fever.”

Kangin sat down beside Ryeowook as he watched the man continue to attend to Sungmin gently. “I know you took an oath to do no harm, but this bastard is screwing your husband.”

“We have been gone over a year. I am sure we were assumed dead a long time ago. Also as a Star Fleet officer you can’t be offering to dispose of people for me,” Ryeowook tried to explain calmly, fighting the emotions that were trying to overwhelm him.

“Screw Star Fleet, I’m more loyal to you right now. We all owe you our lives a hundred times over,” Kangin told the doctor.

“We do owe you our lives,” Siwon agreed as he sat down on the opposite side of Sungmin as Kangin and Ryeowook. Siwon handed the doctor the root with a bottle of water.

“I’m so sorry. Ryeowook, I am so sorry,” Sungmin muttered.

“It’s okay, Sungmin,” Ryeowook told the injured man as he tilted his head up. “Sungmin, I need you to swallow this for me. It will help with your fever.”

“I’m so sorry,” Sungmin whimpered.

“Swallow,” Ryeowook said more forcefully, stuffing the root in Sungmin’s mouth and following it with the water, forcing Sungmin to swallow the root down.

“So you are not even mad?” Kangin asked in awe.

Ryeowook looked up at Kangin his eyes flashing with suppressed anger. “Oh, I am mad. I would rather stay trapped on this planet for an eternity than see that bastard husband of mine.”

*************

“I need ideas people!” the captain demanded of his officers that surrounded him at the officer’s table.

“The shuttle craft is not equipped with proper sensors to differentiate between humanoid and animal life signs,” Yoochun told him. “Although it’s doing a bang up job of finding bears.”

“We could send more people down,” Lieutenant Donghae the transporter chief offered.

“More potential bear food,” Heechul responded, not liking the idea.

Lieutenant Yesung spoke up. “With phasers, we are more than a match for the bears.”

“They had phasers before when Sungmin got attacked,” Heechul told Yoochun with an exaggerated eye roll.

“I think the naked Leeteuk running past them might have distracted them,” Lieutenant Donghae pointed out.

Heechul folded his arms and pouted. “I never get to run naked.”

“Isn’t that a terrible shame,” Lieutenant Yesung said, full of scorn.

Yoochun chuckled, eyeing Heechul with admiration. “It truly is.”

“Can we focus on our injured comrade…you know, Sungmin? Our friend? He’s down there maybe dead, and we are no help to him,” the captain said, shaking his head and hating how helpless he felt.

“We could risk lowering the Expectations into a lower orbit…if we got closer maybe our sensors could differentiate between the life signs, but…” Yoochun said trailing off.

“What would that do to our engines?” the captain asked.

“Well the shields that we would have to maintain to keep from burning up in the atmosphere would no doubt diminish our dilithium crystal supply to practically nothing. We are short on them as it is,” Commander Yoochun explained.

Jaejoong, who was sitting next to Yunho quietly could sense his mate’s worry and anxiety regarding the option the chief engineer had just given him. Jaejoong could feel that Yunho was about to take the risk to the ship instead of leaving a man behind. “There is another option.”

The officers around the table all focused on Jaejoong. “And what would that option be?” Lieutenant Yesung asked.

“I am a telepath. I am not on the top of my game, but I have been sheltering you all from the full affects of my telepathy. Out of respect for your privacy, I have closed off parts of my mind. If I were allowed to unleash my full power there is no way I could not detect a man if he were in severe pain…if I were even remotely close to him. The fact that the planet is not populated makes it much easier,” Jaejoong explained, causing the other members of the crew’s eyes to widen.

“Awe, the fewer minds for you to sift through,” Heechul explained as his keen intelligence broke through the madness.

“Jae, I thought I disrupted your senses,” Yunho asked from beside his mate.

“You do, but I still think if he is alive I would be able to sense him,” Jaejoong explained to Yunho.

“Could you sense the bears too?” Heechul asked curiously.

Jaejoong smiled and looked at Heechul. “Yes.”

“Could you control them like you did the Zusaders?” Donghae asked.

“The more primitive a species the more difficult they are to control,” Jaejoong explained, “and like I said I am not at my best. The captain’s presence is intoxicating to my senses, but I would sense a hungry bear if it were nearby.”

Yunho stood up from the chair. “You give us a heads up and we will happily take care of the bears.”

“I think it’s the best option we got,” Commander Yoochun said, liking the plan.

“Agreed,” Yunho told them. “You are all are dismissed. Transport Chief, get ready to beam us down.”

“Yes, Sir,” Donghae said, getting up from the table.

“Commander,” the captain said turning to Yoochun, “We will have to provide Jae with an insignia.”

Yoochun smiled at Jaejoong and winked. “You are a real member of the family now.”

The captain swatted Yoochun on the arm. “Just go get one.”

Jaejoong watched as the chief engineer hurried off to get him an insignia. “What exactly is an insignia?” Jaejoong asked, desperately trying not to pry the answer out of the Yunho’s mind.

Yunho looked down at Jaejoong who remained seated, and tapped the triangular looking broach on his chest. “It allows us to communicate on board the ship with each other…I am sure you noticed. But most importantly it allows the Expectations to latch on to us while we are off ship…if we are in beaming range. "


	3. Chapter 3

“Captain!” Commander Cho shouted, shocked when the captain and Jaejoong materialized in front of him.  
  
“Yunho!” Changmin said, full of disapproval.  
  
Yunho pointed his finger at Changmin. “It’s Captain Yunho to you, when we are on duty, and don’t start with me.” Changmin frowned and gritted his teeth, but said nothing more.  
  
“Captain, what’s going on?” Commander Cho asked, walking up to them.  
  
“Commander, we are going to try another approach,” the captain said, taking Commander Cho’s arm giving it a gentle squeeze, and then turned to Jaejoong. “Jae, what do you need from me?”  
  
“I need you and Changmin at least twenty feet away from me,” Jaejoong told him.  
  
Changmin frowned. “Why me?”  
  
Yunho took Changmin by the arm and pulled him back the distance that Jaejoong had asked, “You are my son, it’s probably too easy to read your mind.”  
  
Changmin looked absolutely astounded. “I don’t give permission to have my mind read!”  
  
“Who does?” Yunho muttered as he watched Jaejoong close his eyes and stretch out his arms. They all watched Jaejoong with wide, curious eyes as he let down his guard and opened his senses.  
  
Changmin shook from beside Yunho as if he could feel the telepathic waves emanating from Jaejoong. Changmin reached down and clasped his father’s hand instinctively. Yunho looked down at their clasped hands and smiled as he felt the warmth of Jaejoong’s mind touch his.  
  
Jaejoong’s eyes flew open and he pointed toward the trees. “They are this way,” he told them as he took off and walked toward the trees.  
  
“They?” Yunho asked as he let go of Changmin’s hand to hurry and catch up with Jaejoong.  
  
Jaejoong turned around quickly, eyes flashing, and pointed at Yunho. “You stay back…with Changmin,” Jaejoong ordered to his mate.  
  
“Okay, but them?” Yunho asked as Jaejoong started forward again.  
  
“There are four people in this direction, and one of them is injured. There is another man to the west,” Jaejoong answered as he hurried on his way. “The injured man is Sungmin. I touched his mind earlier today and I recognize it.”  
  
“This is so freaking cool!” Junsu said, full of excitement as he walked beside Jaejoong with admiration in his eyes.  
  
“We were going in the wrong direction,” Commander Cho said, stepping up beside Jaejoong. “The other three - are they in good condition?”  
  
Jaejoong turned to Commander Cho and smiled knowingly. “One of them is  _very_  angry.”  
  
“Angry?” Commander Cho repeated and paled.  
  
Jaejoong nodded his head and continued on his way with Ensign Junsu and Commander Cho right beside him. Yunho and Changmin kept their distance as the seven security guards surrounded them.  
  
“I don’t know why I have to stay back here with you. Even if I am your son I don’t understand why that would make my mind more receptive to his telepathy…that isn’t logical,” Changmin complained to the captain.  
  
“Hey, maybe it’s because you are sorta telepathic too,” Junsu who overheard them offered.  
  
Jaejoong immediately stumbled and would have fallen if Commander Cho had not reached out a hand and caught him. “Thank you,” Jaejoong told the commander, attempting to hide how unsettled he was by Junsu’s statement.  
  
“I am not a telepathic,” Changmin denied instantly.  
  
“You have excellent instincts,” Yunho pointed out from beside him.  
  
Kyuhyun nodded his head in agreement. “That’s true. I mean before Leeteuk appeared you knew something wasn’t right. It’s not the first time something like this has happened either.”  
  
“Having good instincts and being telepathic are two completely different things,” Changmin insisted.  
  
“You did score very high on the ESP entrance test to the academy,” Yunho said, remembering and frowning now.  
  
Changmin turned to the captain. “So did you. You have wonderful instincts. I am your biological son, I apparently inherited them from you.”  
  
“I didn’t score nearly as high as you. You scored as high as some Vulcans, and…” Yunho paused as Jaejoong’s words suddenly came back to him. “I have been exposed to a telepath.”  
  
“Why do you say that,” Changmin asked, swallowing nervously.  
  
“It something Jae said to me earlier,” the captain whispered to Changmin.  
  
“If I were a telepath, wouldn’t I know it?” Changmin whispered, alarmed now.  
  
The captain leaned in closer to Changmin and spoke in a soft voice, mindful of the ears surrounding them. “You have always been highly perceptive, and what if it’s more than just your keen intelligence?”  
  
Changmin looked up at Jaejoong who continued to lead them through the forest. “And you are suddenly bonded to telepath…for life. He’s completely male now…right?”  
  
Yunho, whose eyes were glued to Jaejoong, confessed, “I think…but he isn’t human. He’s said that repeatedly. He started off as a woman…I mean a hermaphrodite. He could change into a woman next week for all we know.”  
  
“Even Heechul would have noticed if Jaejoong and I shared DNA,” Changmin insisted.  
  
“Would he? Heechul is no longer the doctor he used to be. Jae once told me that he could fool some of the most sophisticated medical equipment in the universe.”  
  
“If he were my mother…why would he not admit it?” Changmin said, watching Jaejoong while still trying to resist the blatant truth that was staring him in the face.  
  
“I don’t know. Maybe he was afraid of overwhelming me. I’m kind of skittish with him,” Yunho admitted, still keeping his voice low enough that only Changmin could hear him.  
  
“Or he is afraid of changing the future,” Changmin said, swallowing nervously as that seemed the obvious choice to him.  
  
The captain frowned as he was reminded of something he had never been able to accept. “There is no way I would willing send my two year old son back through time. I refuse to believe that.”  
  
Changmin looked at Yunho and shook his head. “And yet, I am standing beside you, proof that you did just that.”  
  
“I had to be de……”  
  
“Bear!” Jaejoong shouted as he turned around and pointed toward the left of them.  
  
Instantly Yunho had his phaser out and stunned the bear that came running out of the bushes. Yunho’s shot was followed by several others as they all reacted quickly.  
  
“We should have taken you with us to begin with,” Junsu said, full of awe at Jaejoong’s abilities.  
  
“Agreed,” Commander Cho said as he eyed the stunned bear that easily weighed a thousand kilograms.  
  
“How is something that big…that quiet?” the captain asked.  
  
“Big patted feet,” Changmin said, pointing to the bear’s feet.  
  
Jaejoong was suddenly between them and took both Changmin and Yunho by the hand. “We are almost there. We should hurry,” Jaejoong told them.  
  
Changmin pulled his hand away from Jaejoong and stared at him suspiciously. Jaejoong had barely even shared a glance with him, but now suddenly he was grabbing his hand? Changmin could not help but be suspicious.  
  
Yunho smiled at Jaejoong lovingly and asked, “We can touch now?”  
  
Jaejoong shook his head and let go of Yunho’s hand. “No, I am just glad you’re unharmed and not bear food.”  
  
“I second that,” Yunho said, smiling at Jaejoong as the other man stepped away from Yunho and resumed leading them through the forest.  
  
“What were we saying?” Changmin asked, baffled suddenly.  
  
The captain looked up at him and smiled. “You were complaining because you had to stay back here with me.”  
  
Changmin frowned, feeling like he had forgotten something important, but didn’t argue his point. He just continued following Jaejoong like the others.  
  
  
*************************  
  
“If they are on the planet they should be near the shuttle craft so we will eventually meet up with them,” Kangin said, full of warning as he eyed the strangely quiet doctor. They were leaving the hillside cave and making their way back to the shuttle craft.  
  
“That’s fine,” Ryeowook answered sharply. “As long as they keep Kyuhyun on one side of the ship and me on the other side everything will be fine.”  
  
Siwon, who was carrying Sungmin - since Kangin refused to carry the home wrecker, smiled at the irate doctor. “Really? After a year of longing for him…you feel nothing?”  
  
Ryeowook practically growled. “Oh, I feel something. I feel disgust, betrayal, hurt, fury, rage, and revulsion.”  
  
Siwon winced. “Well as long as you are feeling something.”  
  
“Well wasn’t Kyuhyun a big horndog before he committed to you? I mean he probably just reverted to his old form, but this one,” Kangin said, pointing to the man that Siwon was carrying, “pretended to be your friend while he lusted after your husband.”  
  
“I don’t think he pretended…he seemed really sorry,” Siwon couldn’t help but add.  
  
“Listen here Prince Siwon, who made you his lord and protector?” Kangin asked, scowling at the taller man.  
  
Siwon shook his head at Kangin. “Nobody, I am just saying he seemed truly sorry to me.”  
  
“Sorry he got caught,” Kangin replied, refusing to give Sungmin a chance. Kangin had never liked Sungmin. They had both been assigned to security and Sungmin was always showing everybody else up with his martial arts skills.  
  
Siwon laughed. “Caught because he confessed…it was like a deathbed confession. I mean why would he confess to the man who literally held his life in his hands, if he wasn’t really sorry?”  
  
“Because he was feverish! Because he didn’t know what he was saying! When people are dying their guilty consciences always get the best of them! He didn’t do it because he was sorry! If he was sorry he wouldn’t have pretended to be my friend while he was just waiting for me to exit the picture so he could fuck my husband!” Ryeowook turned around and roared at them, his body shaking with rage.  
  
Both Siwon and Kangin’s mouths fell open in shock as they stared at the much smaller, angry man. “Dude, did you just say fuck?” Kangin asked, completely amazed.  
  
“I have never heard you use a foul word,” Siwon said, just as shocked as Kangin by Ryeowook’s outburst.  
  
“Yes, I cussed!” Ryeowook admitted as he turned around and stormed back down the hill. “I cussed because this is our rescue day, and instead of being a happy day…it’s like a day from hell. There I cussed again. I’m just a horrible person. Who has horrible judgment in husbands! My grandmother warned me not to marry a man!”  
  
“I will totally kick Kyuhyun’s ass for you,” Kangin promised the smaller man.  
  
“That would be gr…” Ryeowook paused as something in the distance caught his attention. “Oh my God!”  
  
“What?” Both Kangin and Siwon asked.  
  
“Kyuhyun!” Ryeowook screamed at the top of his lungs, and took off running down the hill as fast as he could toward the other man.  
  
*******************  
  
  
Jaejoong led the away team out of the forest into a clearing that led to a hill. Jaejoong looked up the hill and grabbed Commander Cho’s arm, and pointed up the hill. “There they are, Commander.”  
  
Kyuhyun’s heart swelled with excitement as he looked up. He stared in stunned silence not believing his eyes when a much loved person came into view. The silence was soon shattered by a beautiful, high-pitched voice that he felt like he had been missing for the entirety of his life.  
  
Yunho stepped up beside Jaejoong with a huge smile across his face as Commander Cho took off running toward his much loved and much missed husband.  
  
Kyuhyun ran as fast as he could. He suddenly felt years and pounds lighter. He felt as light as air as a huge sense of loss was lifted from him. His eyes never left Ryeowook, who was running down the hill toward him. Becoming more real by the second and Kyuhyun couldn’t believe his good fortune…couldn’t believe it at all. His only wish had come true.  
  
They flew into each other’s arms, both a mixture of tears and laughter as Kyuhyun hugged Ryeowook tighter than he had ever hugged anybody and swung him around in circles. “You’re alive, you’re alive, you’re alive,” Kyuhyun chanted over and over as he swung Ryeowook around and around.  
  
“Yes, yes, yes,” Ryeowook whimpered into Kyuhyun’s neck hugging him tightly. “You are making me dizzy.”  
  
Kyuhyun stopped swirling Ryeowook, swaying as he clung to Ryeowook tighter. Kyuhyun barely kept them from toppling over. “I thought you were dead,” Kyuhyun exclaimed, pulling away from Ryeowook to kiss his face all over. “I love you. I love you. I love you.”  
  
Kyuhyun, who was lost in his joy, was oblivious to the change in Ryeowook his words had brought on. “So much that you screwed my best friend,” Ryeowook hissed as he slammed his knee into Kyuhyun’s groin sending the taller man toppling over.  
  
Jaejoong, who was hurrying up the hill with Yunho and the others, winced as he watched Kyuhyun fall to the ground in excruciating pain. “I warned him.”  
  
“It appears that Doctor Cho is most unpleased with Commander Cho’s choice of sexual partners,” Changmin pointed out as he watched Kyuhyun wallowing in pain on the ground holding his privates. Junsu who was standing beside Changmin nodded his head in agreement.  
  
“Lieutenant Jung, gossiping? I thought better of you,” Yunho chided Changmin, trying to keep a straight face as he walked with Jaejoong toward Doctor Cho.  
  
“Captain, I assure you I’m merely stating a fact,” Changmin said, frowning in his defense as he and Junsu followed Yunho and Jaejoong.  
  
“What is that smell?” Junsu said in disgust, holding his nose as a horrible smell filled the air as he moved closer to the doctor.  
  
“It’s bear repellent,” Ryeowook answered, reaching up to touch the stinky necklace around his neck. Ryeowook then kicked Kyuhyun unable to stop himself.  
  
“Doctor, that’s enough,” Yunho ordered out of pity for his first officer who was still writhing on the ground in agony.  
  
Ryeowook turned away from Kyuhyun and looked up at Yunho and smiled.  “Yunho…it’s so good to see you.”  
  
Yunho smiled at Ryeowook. “Believe me, the feeling is mutual.”  
  
“I thought we would never be found….” Ryeowook stopped, remembering his duty as a healer. “Commander Jung, Sungmin needs to be transported to Sickbay now. He’s in very critical condition.”  
  
“You will have to go with him,” Yunho explained to doctor, not correcting his assumption that Yunho was still just a commander.  
  
Ryeowook frowned. “There is a conflict…I think it would be best if somebody else took care of him.”  
  
“There isn’t anybody else. The only doctor we have left is Heechul and he’s not exactly in his right mind. He can handle some of the small stuff, but he just wanders off if the case is severe,” Yunho explained to the confused doctor as Kangin and Siwon appeared behind him.  
  
Kyuhyun moaned from his position on the ground where he laid holding his privates, causing Ryeowook to flinch. “Dr. Kim wanders off? What? Why would he do that?”  
  
Changmin stepped up beside the captain and explained. “Everybody thirty years or older and all the females on board the ship did not survive the black hole. The ones whose ages were close to thirty either ended up comatose or insane…and most eventually died. Doctor Kim is the most intact mentally of any of those affected, but he was left very changed.”  
  
“That’s just…that’s…” Kangin muttered as if the wind had suddenly been knocked out of him at hearing the news. How could so many be dead? “That’s hundreds of people.”  
  
“Kangin,” Yunho said affectionately as he approached his long lost friend and gave him a fierce hug. Yunho hated that anybody had to know the horrible truth of what happened to the Expectations crew. It was a burden of sadness that would never go away.  
  
“I can’t even begin to comprehend all this, but I have to get Sungmin back to the ship,” Ryeowook insisted. “His life is at risk.”  
  
Yunho let go of Kangin and nodded his head in agreement. “Of course. Let’s all get the hell out of here.”  
  
Yunho grabbed Kangin with his spare hand as the members of the crew with the insignia badge and made sure they were touching the members without them. Changmin reached out and took Ryeowook’s hand as Junsu walked up to Siwon, who was still carrying Sungmin, and touched his arm.  
  
Yunho tapped his insignia badge. “Commander Yoochun, beam us up.”  
  
***********  
  
“It’s just unbelievable,” Kangin said, toying with his fingernails. “They are all dead.”  
  
“Yeah, it isn’t something you can get used to. We just had to learn to deal with it or die. Survival had to be priority,” Yunho told him. They were in the chief medical officer’s office in Sickbay sitting around a conference table. Ryeowook, whose anger had not diminished in the slightest, had refused to leave Sungmin who was in critical condition.  
  
“The women with you…did they all die too?” Commander Yoochun asked.  
  
Ryeowook, who had been glaring at Kyuhyun from across the table, looked up and shook his head. “No, the two females under thirty lived. They were very sick for a very long time, but I was able to save them.”  
  
“Are they on the planet also? Why didn’t you say something earlier?” Yunho questioned, shocked at the information. Jaejoong, who was sitting next to Yunho, looked very doubtful at the prospect of somebody else being on the planet.  
  
“No, some fucking bastard by the name of Hangeng took them away months ago. He only spared our lives because Ryeowook managed to save the life of one of his trusted people,” Kangin said, full of revulsion.  
  
“Hangeng?” Yunho asked, turning to Jaejoong.  
  
“Shindong would know much more than I do about the man,” Jaejoong answered. “I have not had much interaction with the man…if any. I know he is one of three warlords that like to lay claim to the ownership of this part of space.”  
  
“Who is Shindong?” Kangin asked.  
  
“A prisoner of ours,” Changmin explained of the man who was still being held in the brig.  
  
“Who are the three warlords in this part of space?” Yunho asked, suddenly curious about who they might run into.  
  
“ZhouMi, Hangeng, and Boa are the three most powerful warlords in this region of space. Hangeng is rumored to be the most civil of the three. He has a Joong mate,” Jaejoong explained.  
  
Ryeowook frowned. “I am assuming all Joong’s don’t look like you…because he isn’t exactly married to an attractive woman. She is double his weight and much older,” Ryeowook pointed out, unable to find a nice way of wording it.  
  
Jaejoong smiled unpleasantly. “It’s rumored that he had mommy issues.”  
  
Yunho cringed. “That’s just…needless to say we need to find our female crew. I don’t even want to imagine what they are going through.  
  
Jaejoong looked sadly at Yunho. “I’m sure he sold them long ago.”  
  
“Bastard, if I ever find him again I am going to rip his head off,” Kangin growled.  
  
“Well we must not give up hope. Today we proved that you can never give up hope, and anything is possible…right Commander?” Yunho asked of his second in command who had not taken his eyes off Ryeowook. “Commander,” Yunho said louder.  
  
“What, Captain?” Commander Cho said, jumping in his seat, startled.  
  
“I was saying how we can never give up hope,” the captain told the commander fondly.  
  
Commander Cho looked directly and Dr. Cho and reaffirmed, “Never.”  
  
Ryeowook just sneered back at him, unmoved.  
  
The captain stood up. “This meeting is dismissed. I know I am exhausted from chasing that streaker half way across the planet,” the captain said of his long chase of Commander Leeteuk, who had lost his mind and his desire to wear clothing.  
  
“Good luck keeping his clothes on him,” Kangin said, getting up from the table. “We could only get him to wear the stink necklace half the time and that was to keep bears off of him.”  
  
“I doubt a bear could catch him,” Changmin grumbled, also tired from chasing after Commander Leeteuk.  
  
As the others got up and cleared the room, Commander Cho stayed seated staring at Ryeowook who glared back at him. “I know you are angry with me, but I’m just so glad you are alive.”  
  
“Angry with you? Anger doesn’t even begin to describe the disgust…the betrayal I feel toward you right now,” Ryeowook told him, full of contempt.  
  
“Whatever you feel toward me I assure you I have felt worse. I thought you were dead. You have no idea how miserable I have been…how much I have missed you,” Kyuhyun told him, reaching out across the table toward him.  
  
Ryeowook stood up quickly avoiding Kyuhyun’s touch as he got up from the table, and moved to the chief medical officer’s desk at the back of the room that he had suddenly inherited. “Really? You think I have no idea? I missed you so much, or should I say the person I thought you were.”  
  
“Ryeowook, don’t. Just come back to our room with me,” Kyuhyun begged.  
  
“Back to  _our_  room? I am never going back there….where you and Sungmin…” Ryeowook cursed the tears that were building in his eyes.  
  
Kyuhyun shook his head frantically. “No, we never did. Not in our room. It’s the same as it was when you left…the very same. All your stuff is still there. I haven’t moved any of it. I couldn’t…ever.”  
  
“Get out of here,” Ryeowook ordered as he felt his resolve weakening. He stood up behind the desk and rotated back and forth from picking up an antique crystal vase and an old book from the desk.  
  
Kyuhyun took a tentative step toward his angry spouse. “I know you’re hurt. You know me better than anybody. You know what I can be like. You know…”  
  
“I thought you had changed! You told me you had changed!” Ryeowook screamed at him as he picked up the book from the desk again.  
  
Kyuhyun swallowed shamefully. “I did change. You know I did. For years we were so happy, but when I thought I lost you…I lost my mind. I promise you I have not had a moment of joy since I thought I lost you.”  
  
Kyuhyun ducked as Ryeowook threw the book at him. “You have had sex though! Lots of sex! Lots of sex with my  _so-called_  best friend! Are you trying to tell me you didn’t enjoy that? I know you! I know you probably just kept coming back for more and more! Spitting on my memory every time you screwed our friend…you probably always wanted too! Did you two laugh at me? Poor backwater, hick Ryeowook! What a good laugh you must have had at my expense!”  
  
“You can’t possibly think that. You know that isn’t true. You know I love you more…”  
  
“Get out of here!” Ryeowook screamed at him as he threw the vase at him. Kyuhyun barely ducked in time as the vase flew past him, crashing into the wall and shattering into thousands of pieces.  
  
Kyuhyun backed away toward the door. “I am going to go, but not because I don’t love you…but because I do. You just need to calm down, so we can talk this out tomorrow.”  
  
“Get out of here…so I can tend to your lover! I will get him back in tip top shape for you, don’t worry!” Ryeowook screamed at his husband, hating the tears that rolled down his face.  
  
Kyuhyun stared at Ryeowook miserably, wanting nothing more than to comfort him…to hold him. “I don’t care about him.”  
  
“Well you should! You are the commander of this ship…you should care about your crew, especially ones you are sleeping with!” Ryeowook said, sobbing as he sat down at the desk, his whole body shaking.  
  
“Baby,” Kyuhyun moaned, his whole body aching as if he could feel Ryeowook’s pain. “I can’t win this fight with you tonight, but you have to believe me when I say you are the only person I have ever loved.”  
  
Ryeowook looked up at Kyuhyun with big, chocolate brown eyes filled with tears wanting to believe him, but too hurt to accept anything his husband had to say. “Just go.”  
  
“I will go for now, but I will be back,” Kyuhyun promised as he stepped out of the room.  
  
  
**************  
  
  
Jaejoong sat on Yunho’s bed wearing a blue robe with his legs folded together and multiple expressions played out over his face.  
  
“Who are you eavesdropping on?” Yunho asked as he sat down beside Jaejoong.  
  
Jaejoong looked guiltily at Yunho. “Why would you think that?”  
  
“It’s very obvious. I will save my lecture about rudeness and respecting people’s privacy till tomorrow,” Yunho told Jaejoong, amused at the man.  
  
“I might have been listening in on Ryeowook and Kyuhyun…sickbay is just down the hall,” Jaejoong confessed as he reached out and took Yunho’s hand in his. “Their emotions are very intense, so even at this distance I can read some of their thoughts.”  
  
“Ouch, that can’t be good.”  
  
Jaejoong smiled and shook his head. “No, not at all. I was merely checking to make sure I shouldn’t notify you of impending harm of one of your officers.”  
  
Yunho intertwined his fingers with Jaejoong’s. “So you were just looking out for me?”  
  
“Always,” Jaejoong assured him.  
  
Yunho gave Jaejoong a warmhearted smile. “You know I am not the slightest bit tired now. I was exhausted earlier.”  
  
“The power of the bonded,” Jaejoong said, winking at him as he held up their clasped hands.  
  
“You healed my tiredness?”  
  
“No, our bond just makes us stronger. Which is a good thing, I thought we were never going to catch that naked man,” Jaejoong exclaimed, exasperated as he remembered chasing Commander Leeteuk all around while at the same time trying to keep the crew from ending up as bear food.  
  
Yunho pulled Jaejoong’s hand up to his mouth and kissed it. “You did really amazing today…you blew me away. You are going to make an excellent addition to the crew.”  
  
Jaejoong sighed happily and smiled so brightly he felt like he was going to bust out of his skin. “For so long I have always been the sought after treasure, or prisoner…today was great. I really felt useful. It was really nice.”  
  
Yunho smiled at Jaejoong just as brightly, glowing in the power of their bond.  _“Well you are my treasure,”_  Yunho told him without speaking a word.  
  
Jaejoong’s mouth fell open shocked.  _“Why Yunho, you just break all the rules don’t you. Your mind truly is full of surprises.”_  
  
Yunho, who was stunned at his new ability, willed another message toward Jae.  _“Does this mean the gateway is open?”_  
  
 _“Yes, that’s what it means.”_  
  
 _“And I don’t even have to make love to you. Aren’t you lucky?”_  
  
Jaejoong frowned.  _“Why would I be lucky?”_  
  
 _“Because when I make love to you,”_ Yunho said mentally as he pushed Jaejoong back on the bed,  _“You will know I do it for no other reason than because I want to.”_  
  
Jaejoong pulled Yunho down for a passionate kiss. _“Really? I thought it was out of mere curiosity.”_  
  
Yunho laughed and kissed Jaejoong back. _“Well, I must admit that self lubricating prostate has got me curious.”_  
  
 _“I knew it.”_


End file.
